"What!?"
Four shocked voices rang out in perfect unison, thick with disbelief and confusion. None of them had expected that to be the so-called ultimate technique of the ninja world. And to see it used in such a ridiculous fashion—against Kakashi, no less—was beyond words.
"I… it hurts so much!!!" Kakashi's face twisted in agony, his features contorting as though his very soul had been pierced. He clutched at his body as if an invisible spear skewered him, froth foaming at the corner of his mouth. With a strangled groan, Hatake Kakashi collapsed unceremoniously to the ground, unconscious.
"Kakashi!" Rin instantly scrambled to his side, panic flashing in her eyes.
"He'll be fine. He just blacked out from the pain," said Uchiha Shigure calmly, though there was a faintly sardonic note in his voice.
"I've helped him as much as I can," Shigure continued. "But Kakashi's arrogance had to be tempered. If you don't defeat him in kind, he'll never learn humility."
It was a harsh lesson, but Shigure's point was driven home by simple truth: arrogance leads to carelessness, and carelessness on the battlefield leads to death. When Kakashi eventually woke, he would understand.
Obito exhaled heavily, torn between relief and exasperation. He reached into his vest and retrieved their team's collection of exam cards.
"Uncle Shigure, we lost. As promised, we accept defeat." He extended the cards, along with the ones taken from the two Chūnin teams they had beaten earlier. "These are yours."
But Shigure waved him off. "Keep them. We came here to teach Kakashi a lesson, not rob you. And besides, he never agreed to that wager of yours. It would hardly be proper for me to take them by force."
Obito blinked, stunned by the refusal. Shigure's voice, though firm, carried a thread of warmth. "Compared to Kakashi, you at least know how to respect elders. Remember that, Obito."
"Honestly… Shigure, you really scared me just now," added Kusuo, though there was more concern in his tone than he cared to admit.
"Oh? So despite all your snide remarks about Kakashi, you do worry about him," Shigure teased, earning a scowl from Kusuo.
As Rin tended to Kakashi, Shigure, Kusuo, and Hyūga Akane remained vigilant, watching for potential ambushes. The Forest of Death never allowed peace for long.
And then Akane's eyes narrowed sharply. Her Hyūga bloodline sight quivered with alarm. "Someone's coming—fast! She's close. But… how could it be her?"
Shigure moved to higher ground in a flash. His Sharingan caught sight of a lone figure staggering through the trees—a young kunoichi with violet hair, bloodied and barely conscious.
"Who is that?" Shigure muttered, his hand tightening around a kunai.
"Katori Sumire," Kusuo recognized her first, grimacing. "Suzuki's class. A genjutsu specialist."
But Sumire's state was dire. Cuts of all sizes marred her arms, and her purple hair was plastered to her bloodstained face. She swayed with every step as though carrying a mountain's weight.
"I'll check," Shigure said, casting one of his special kunai to mark his point of return. In a blur of instantaneous speed, he teleported across the clearing and appeared beside her using the Flying Thunder God technique.
Sumire collapsed on cue, unconscious before she even realized Shigure had caught her. She fell directly into his arms, and with a thought, he whisked her back to the safety of their tower.
"Shigure—she's almost comatose!" Akane exclaimed, rushing forward.
"What kind of monster did she encounter?" Kusuo frowned. "Suzuki's team wasn't weak. For her to show up alone in this state…"
"You all know her?" Obito asked, exchanging glances.
"Yes. We… had our conflicts before," Shigure admitted with a grimace. "The question is—do we cast her out, or save her?"
"Save her," Akane said firmly, her scarlet braid falling forward. "We need to know what happened."
Shigure nodded. "Agreed. Akane, water and ration pills. Quickly."
Together, they revived her. After several tense moments, Sumire's eyes fluttered open, her lips cracked and dry.
"Where… am I?" Her gaze steadied, focusing on Shigure, Akane, and Kusuo. "Uchiha Shigure… Hyūga Akane… Kusuo… it's you. Did you… save me?"
Shigure didn't waste time. "Where are your teammates? Why are you alone?"
Her expression darkened with pain, not from her wounds but from memory. "We were ambushed. Not just by one team. Several. Strong ones. Shuichi… he was eliminated." Her voice trembled. "Katsuhira tried to hold them back. He bought me an opening to escape. I swore I'd bring reinforcements, but…" Her eyes closed as tears mixed with blood. "How could there be reinforcements in this place? The exam is a battlefield."
Kusuo scowled. "We're standing right here. Isn't that reinforcement enough?"
Sumire hesitated, shame flickering through her drained expression. "But after what we did to you before… how can you still help us?"
"Because I want to know who did this to you," Shigure said, his voice hard. "Katsuhira had Chūnin-level strength. For him to be crushed… who were they?"
Sumire's words fell like ice. "They were… Uchiha."
The group fell silent.
"What?" Akane whispered.
"I—I don't know why. But none of them felt like Genin. Their chakra was heavy… suffocating. Katsuhira fought as hard as he could, but he only lasted moments…"
Shigure's Sharingan glinted in the dim light. "Uchiha…" he echoed. His thoughts grew razor-sharp. If these were truly Uchiha, then this battle wasn't chance. Were these assassins sent by the clan itself? A test? A warning? If so, this promised to become very… interesting.
"This might be the most dangerous fight yet," Shigure muttered to himself. His decision was already made. He turned to Sumire. "Tell me their location. Your reinforcements are ready."
Tears welled in her eyes. For someone she'd branded an enemy to offer help without hesitation—it was beyond anything she'd expected. "They're between the Tower of Arrival and the Tower of the Savior… be careful." With that, she slumped back into unconsciousness. Rin and Obito rushed to tend to her alongside the still-resting Kakashi.
Shigure rose, pulling out a set of Flying Thunder God kunai. "You all stay here and defend the tower. Use the terrain advantage. I'll handle the Uchiha."
But just then, the heavens shimmered. The golden exam barrier flickered unnervingly.
"It shrank again," Shigure muttered. "And this time, it's not the Tower of Arrival… wait. South." His heart clenched. The Tower of Arrival—the very direction Sumire had pointed him toward. "Damn. Then there's no time to waste."
He sprinted into the forest, littering kunai across his path, marking them for instant return. His Sharingan awakened once more as he scanned the distance.
Through the dark trees, he saw them. Nine Uchiha.
"Nine?" He stopped cold. "Three full teams?" His heart raced, but his gaze sharpened. Among them, he already recognized two familiar faces—Uchiha Hideaki, Uchiha Naomasa. And there were others. More cousins. More challengers.
He inhaled slowly as his eyes analyzed the chakra signatures. One group—Chūnin-level strength at least. But the other…
His pupils narrowed. "That chakra… Jonin-level." Stronger, denser—concentrated around their eyes. One by one, crimson Sharingan tomoe spun in the shadows.
"A team of Uchiha Jōnin… sent into the exam?" Shigure felt his heart stir—equal parts dread and excitement. Fear should have overtaken him, but instead, adrenaline sang in his veins.
"This… will be my toughest battle yet."
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